Sleep and Potties

Since both boys are currently napping (but only slightly overlapping so I'm still awake....), I thought I'd whip up a blog post.  Another reason I am not currently asleep is because Callum was a darling and gave me 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night!  It was fantastic!  We had a walk to the park/lunch at our house playdate today and Everett was exhausted by the end.  He lost his ability to share toys or hold himself together.  But despite all that, he managed to not have a single accident.  What's that?  I didn't mention that he's potty-training?  Oh yes.  My little bug is using the potty (for #1 only) consistently now.  It all started when Everett went to hang out with grandma for the day on Saturday (I was sick with a nasty cold - thanks Christy! ;p) and worked on potty training with his puppy potty over there.  It was hit and miss that day and Sunday.  Suddenly, he figured it out.  He's been steadily improving all week.
On Wednesday, we had playgroup and I popped him in a cloth diaper (bum genius 4.0 with velcro closure), but we went to the bathroom every 10 minutes (he was telling me that he had to go that often) and he stayed completely dry, including on our walk to and from the center!  The diaper I happened to grab was perfect for this because I could keep undoing the velcro, popping the diaper off, hoisting Ev up onto the potty, and then could re-apply the still dry diaper, pull pants back up, and be on our way.  He's still wetting his diaper at naptime, but who cares!  Today he hasn't even been going as often and still remembering to go when he feels the urge.  You could not find a more proud mama!  He's wearing his new "unders" at home and elastic waist pants, and he insists on going into the bathroom alone and doing his thing (now if only he would listen and not attempt to dump his potty into the toilet on his own....).  We've even managed to get one poopy in the potty, but he just hasn't been going as much.  After that one instance, I was so excited that he got super excited and we had to call daddy at work right away (poor Brian.  :D).  Ev's consistently had a dirty diaper in the morning when he wakes up (disposable) and I'm wondering if he's holding it in more or just doesn't have to go as much (because that boy used to poop A LOT).
Anyway.  Yes, I am amazed and beyond pleased that he has taken this "big boy" thing and run with it, right into the potty training department.  Another thing that I am extremely pleased with?  Ev's big brother behavior.  He still doesn't like it if other kids get too close to Callum and is very wary of other adults (besides mama, daddy, and grandparents) holding him.  I noticed that whenever one of my friends was holding Callum at playgroup (which was a lot, since I was running to and from the bathroom every 10 minutes), he would eye them a bit, sidle up to them, and rub Callum's head for a while.  He is just super protective of his baby and (almost) always rushes to help if baby brother is crying and needs a nuk.  He tries to give him toys and loves to make sure Callum has his Thing 2 bear anytime Everett has his Thing 1 bear.  (Auntie C brought back two bears from Universal Studios that are wearing red Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts).
In non-potty or sleeping or baby news, I am finally getting my day care certification stuff done.  I need to get a couple more papers to the certifier and she needs to do some background checks for Indiana.  AND, I got a phone call from a prospective client!  My buddy Monica gave her my name because she doesn't have enough openings and she called me yesterday.  Two kids, ages 3 and 5, full time, and one needs some daily therapies.    Yikes!  But it would definitely make me feel like I am working and doing something with my education background and doing some good in the world.  So I'll be keeping in touch with her about my certification status and we'll see where things go.  Another friend of mine who used to do day care has also offered to let me look through her old stuff for daily plans, weekly themes, and activity ideas.  So this ball is actually starting to roll.
AND, since I ran out of household budget a week or so ago, I haven't been allowed to go shopping.  It was actually really cool though.  Our fridge is quite sparse and we've been eating down what we have.  Much more cost-efficient and generally good for everyone and the planet.  We haven't had to throw away much except some mushrooms (because I really don't care much for mushrooms).  So I had to make up a shopping list for tomorrow and to do that, I also needed some dinner ideas.
So here's my dinner menu for the next week and some change!

Friday, April 1 – pizza and pineapple

Saturday, April 2 – slow cooker vegetarian chili/soup (freeze half, some  for lunches) & corn muffins

Sunday, April 3 – roast in crock pot (get roast out of freezer)

Monday, April 4 – shepherd’s pie with leftover roast

Tuesday, April 5 – fish on grill, baked potatoes

Wednesday, April 6 – honey chicken kabobs

Thursday, April 7 (mama to ElDo) – leftovers????

Friday, April 8 – lentil stew

Saturday, April 9 – slow cooker enchiladas (get beef out)

Sunday, April 10 – whole chicken dinner

1 Month Old

Callum asking if we are really going to take him outside in this weather.

 Big brother doesn't mind

Callum enjoying an evening bath

Everett always loves a bath

And Callum is one month old today!!!  Such a big boy!

Giant Baby!

Whilst out and about trading cars around today (CR-V got sick and had to go to the car doctor), Auntie C and I stopped in at the clinic and threw Cal man onto the baby scale.  Fully clothed he came in at....wait for it....10 pounds, 3.5 ounces!  Dr. Grandma told us to subtract the 3.5oz for clothes, but that still leaves a ten pound baby!  Wow!  I knew he was getting heavy and commented to my mom and Brian last night that his cheeks and thighs are getting chunkier.  Looks like I was right (of course!) :).  Yay for giant babies!
And just for comparison's sake, at this age, Everett was about 8 pounds.  Yeahhhh....

Rear-facing until 2

The American Academy of Pediatrics is now officially recommending that children remain in rear-facing carseats until they are at least two years old!  As you all know, I'm sure, Everett was rear-facing until he was 2.  He would have stayed rear-facing even longer if only we hadn't developed the need to have another rear-facing seat in our car.  ;)  Because someone in the family happens to be 6'4" and apparently needs leg room (pshaw!), we cannot fit a rear-facing seat behind the driver.  So Everett got turned forward-facing January (I think...may have been late December....but he was over 2).  He was thrilled to turn around but just having him enjoying the new view in no way makes me sorry that I didn't turn him sooner.  I still feel no guilt about turning him around, especially since he is a large boy for his age.
It was amazing the difference I saw in his head/neck control between the ages of 1 and 2.  As he crept closer to 2, I noticed that he was much better at controlling his whole body, including his head/neck and that made me so happy that we didn't turn him around at 1 like doctors were approving.  Also, our carseat is approved for rear-facing up to 35 pounds.  Everett, at 27 months and large for his age, is now at 31 pounds.  So technically, he would still be ok to sit rear-facing in that seat.  It has a forward-facing limit of 65 pounds and I'm pretty sure we won't be hitting that anytime soon.  Callum will definitely stay rear-facing until he is at least two and we bought the same carseat for him.  Acutally, I think we may have bought a newer model that has a couple newer features, but....yeah.  As soon as the weather warms up a bit, we're going to switch out his bucket seat that we borrowed from a friend and put in his new seat.  I just love that darn carseat so much, I would prefer to use it than the uber portable baby type.
Anyway!  My soap box has been stood upon.  I'm done (for now).

Spoiling baby

No, I'm not talking about always holding him, not letting him cry, blah blah.  I'm talking about him going bad.  After Brian read the poem that I posted, he was holding Callum (so yeah, we also don't let him cry without running to soothe him.  You CANNOT spoil a 3 week old.) and said, "He's getting so big!  You're right.  Babies don't keep.  This one is spoiling." 
It's interesting using cloth diapers from the get go because I am noticing him growing!  I used to have to fold down the front of his tiny newborn prefold diapers and now I don't have to.  Without folding down, they are reaching the same point on his belly as when I had been folding.  EEK!  That means he's growing.  Right before my very eyes.  He is not quite as tiny, not quite as new, not quite as baby.  Not fair.  Callum is still just the most easy-going little guy ever.  If he is going to have a 3 week growth spurt, it hasn't hit yet.  He's having more and more awake time and is starting to turn toward us when we talk to him.  His eye color is still a mystery.  Some days I swear they are going to be brown and the next minute, I think I see some blue in them.  Who knows!
Everett had his last day of day care yesterday and I think it's the right timing.  He was super excited to return to day care last week and play with his friends and we were a little sad that we were pulling him away from that.  Then this week, he went Tuesday and Thursday and both days we had trouble at drop-off.  He didn't want us to leave him there.  He had a great day yesterday at the goodbye party they held for him, hugged his teacher's kiddos, and said bye.  I think he'll miss them, but I'm glad that he can stay at home with me.  He's been very clingy and needy lately and I am glad that I can just let him cling and know that he's not being replaced by a smaller, newer version...like an iPod!    The sleep deprivation is getting to me and I feel bad for not having as much patience with Ev as I should, but he's doing so well.  He still runs to get Callum his nuk if he's crying and he's getting very good at following directions.  Today I asked him to run upstairs and get a diaper from his room and some diaper cream from the bathroom.  After only one incident of mysterious sounds and me yelling for him, he came trotting downstairs with exactly what I asked for.  So proud!  Now he's off at the vet with Grandma so I should really take this opportunity to get a shower.  Callum doesn't yet beg and cry to join me in the shower, so it's much easier to get clean with only him around.  :)